Indian Railways Thread

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 23 Sep 2015 08:53

manjgu wrote:>2nd A/c Nizamuddin...a) people had put stuff into the toilet ( bio digester) , bottles etc

2nd A/C is supposed to have very literate, well educated people as passengers. And this is what they do with the bio digester system in the toilets. I was reading through a couple of pages in this same thread, lamenting about IR not able to change the toilet system. My understanding is that IR is trying its best to change the system - but also have to deal with idiots who (ab)use these toilets.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 23 Sep 2015 09:38

Last weekend I got a premium tatkal ticket done, which was double the price of the normal ticket! yowza! But thankfully I had a confirmed seat which made it worth the price...

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 23 Sep 2015 11:05

mahadevbhu wrote: But thankfully I had a confirmed seat which made it worth the price...

Phew!! Booked a Tatkal ticket today (thanks to a sudden change of date in Bakr-Id). This booking seems to be a "high pressure" job if you ask me

. But overall, I also like the whole concept of reservations in IR (Confirmed, Reservation Against Cancelation, various WL quotas, Tatkal etc.). The whole purpose seems to be to ensure that the maximum people can be accommodated during each leg of the journey. Don't know if any railway in the world has such a concept, or even in IR this existed before computerised reservation came up.

Mean while, IR had to revoke a directive issued recently. In Southern Railways it was decided to do away with issuing sleeper class tickets (which allowed the ticket holder to enter and occupy "reserved" sleeper class coaches) as part of the "Current Reservation" scheme. Earlier in SR (mainly Kerala), such tickets used to get issued but that led to problems as these were not issued after checking whether if seats/berths were available on the train. Led to tussles between genuine long distance travellers (holding reserved berths) and the passengers boarding with Sleeper Class tickets (assuming that they are berths out there).

PS: It seems there is a system where the UTS (Un-reserved ticketing system?) and the PRS can be linked up. So in that case the UTS systems would "know" the vacant berths in the "reserved" coaches arriving at a station. So UTS would be able to issue only that number of berths on the "current reservation" basis. But it has been done only for a few select trains (Jan Shatabdis - as per what I read in the news papers).

manjgu · Post by **manjgu** » 23 Sep 2015 12:07

the 2nd a/c from hyderabad to nizamuddin was like 60% empty... sometimes instead of buying uber expensive premium tatkal ticket better to check 2nd a/c...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Sep 2015 15:22

there needs to be a large and prominent airplane style dustbin with a spring loaded lid next to the wash basins. this might attract more people to dispose their waste there than throw in toilet. one inside the toilet too.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 23 Sep 2015 18:16

^^ Education saar, people are used to dumping stuff through the open chamber in toilets for so long that it is almost second nature to them. Will take some time and education to retrain mindsets. I have seen it happen on some long distance intl flights - someone throws in face tissue into the vacuum toilet, and it gets clogged. Needs some manual intervention from an attendant. Trains with bio-digesters need to have plenty of signs around the coaches for the next few years, till folks get used to it. Even then, there will be some moron who does not read the sign and do some nonsense.... reality of desh.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 24 Sep 2015 10:18

PMO concerned about slack progress of key railway projects, wants high-investment ones to be expedited

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office is pushing the railway ministry to speed up key projects, given the primacy accorded to the sector in Narendra Modi's economic vision.

In a September 7 letter to the ministry, Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Modi, referred to a "less than satisfactory performance" in some areas.

But Misra also added that he was confident Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu would live up to expectations and take the monopoly state-run transporter toward the path of development. ET has reviewed a copy of the letter. Prabhu had been handpicked by Modi to take charge of the railways.

Misra's note referred to the slow progress of projects such as station development and high-speed services.

Both are futuristic projects and should be implemented with better planning and implementation, he had said.

He also questioned low budgetary spending in the April-June quarter, which reflected poorly on the railways when set against the record of other departments such as Nitin Gadkari's roads ministry and the overall record of the government.

The PMO spokesman asserted this doesn't amount to any dissatisfaction with the way things are being run at the ministry.

"The PMO is totally and fully satisfied with the railway ministry," Jagdish Thakkar, public relations officer at the PMO, said in an email to ET.

Railway ministry officials declined to comment on record. Some of them said the letter was a matter of "routine monitoring" by the PMO. Others said the concerns raised by the PMO were valid. Senior Rail Bhavan bureaucrats have been busy collating data on the various points made in the note to put together a response.

For a prime minister who had pledged to break through policy paralysis and get projects moving again, the railways has been a strong focus area ever since he took office in May last year. After a less than inspiring performance by first choice Gowda, Prabhu was brought in as a replacement in November last year.

Prabhu has been looking to put the organisation on a sound financial footing by finding new sources of funding besides improving safety, among other initiatives.

The prime minister believes that the railways can play a big role in putting the economy onto a faster growth trajectory. Higher government spending was expected to encourage more private investment in the rail sector, including from overseas. Most of the projects mentioned in the letter are those that require major investment.

Misra noted that the railways had spent about a fifth of the Rs 40,000 crore allotted as budgetary support in the first quarter. That compares with 25% in the year earlier period.

Previously, the railway ministry has been queried on progress of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and whether it had decided on the projects to be funded through a Rs 1.5 lakh crore loan from Life Insurance Corp of India (LIC) agreed to in March. The memorandum of understanding with LIC calls for a five-year funding plan with the first tranche of Rs 20,000 crore to be made available in the current fiscal year.

In the note earlier this month, Misra also asked about what was being done by way of internal mobilisation of resources.

Key railway projects are being monitored by the PMO, with Gujarat cadre IAS officer AK Sharma keeping a close watch.

Senior railway officials said there was pressure to speed up projects with "visible results." Among the projects that Modi is said to be especially keen on is the high-speed train service.

"The feasibility and survey report of the Mumbai-Ahmadabad high-speed corridor was submitted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in July but railways have not taken any further action," said the official, who didn't want to be named. Movement on the redevelopment project for 400 stations has also been slow.

"The cabinet cleared the decision in mid-July but the Railway Board has been unable to finalise the documents," the official said

vsunder · Post by **vsunder** » 24 Sep 2015 17:33

The period for an IR project from a plan, to the bureaucracy moving to accept it, survey, final survey, tendering, staging resources, and finally completion and commissioning is about 20 years on the average.
Most cases it is more. The hope is that the bureaucracy becomes agile and nimble to finish the project in 5 years from when it is a gleam in the eye. IR bureaucracy is slothful. Having said that, a number of important projects have received continued funding so that the project managers can make long term plans. The most important of these projects are on SECR and SER, in the Ib valley coalfields, in the Talcher coalfields( Sambalpur-Talcher) and along the Howrah-Mumbai mainline from Adityapur(Tatanagar marshalling yard) to Chakradharpur, Jharsuguda-Champa, Goilkera-Manoharpur( near Rourkela, Odisha ) where work had stopped due to Naxal menace in the Saranda forest.

The Jharia-Bokaro coalfields is another instance, where again work was stopped due to killing of railway construction workers by Naxals, on the Tori-Lohardhaga-Ranchi gauge conversion project. This has again started to move. Tori is on the Grand-Chord and only Tori-Lohardhaga is left to complete. The problem here
is also land acquisition. A completion of Dec 2017 is planned.

With money now available for triple lining Durg-Gondia-Nagpur on the Howrah-Mumbai mainline, this is bound to have very major consequences. Moribund project implementation is a thing of the past. But there are issues of how individual zonal managers are acting. Recently it was seen that most managers are not using Twitter accounts and interacting with the public as per directives of the Digital India program. The worst was the NR GM and there are others.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-news ... -test.html

I have already commented about the dysfunctional zones, SWR and WCR. They should be severely pulled up.
The work culture in these zones is very poor.

Movement of coal and raw materials which have languished for 20 years under UPA and NDA-1 are finally being addressed. It is simply pathetic to see the lost years. I have mentioned the Ib valley coalfields. Ib valley is the third largest coal deposit in India. This was discovered in 1900 when the BNR was laying a railway line. But to evacuate the coal efficiently one needs a railway line from Barpali to Jharsuguda on the Howrah-Mumbai mainline of about 32 miles. It has languished at least since 2006. Now the project got a real shot in the arm and it will be complete in June 2016, a year ahead of the target date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ib_Valley_Coalfield

http://articles.economictimes.indiatime ... ailability

Anil Swarup the Coal secy. linked above has a Twitter handle.

Jharsuguda-Champa(140km) is being triple lined fast on Howrah-Mumbai mainline and will be complete June 2016.

Durg-Nagpur tripling and thus allowing industries in Western Maharashtra and even North India access to the mineral wealth of Odisha, Chatisgarh and Jharkand saw a massive dose of funding in the last budget.
Automatic signalling between Gondia and Nagpur if implemented as envisioned in the last budget as funds were made available would also act as a force multiplier.

Other projects to watch for is Barbil-Dongaoposi-Chaibasa-Rajkharsawan( on the Howrah-Mumbai mainline)-Sini Jn-Gamharia Jn-Adityapur( Tatanagar Marshalling yard) line tripling( 125 km). Rajkharswan-Adityapur is on the Howrah-Mumbai mainline. Rajkharswan-Barbil is a Class E branch line already doubled. Tripling will help the movement of rakes since close to 300 pass there. Barbil has the 5th largest proven reserves of Iron ore and Manganese in the world, numerous pellet plants and steel plants. At both Sini and Gamharia, lines branch North towards Bokaro, the Jharia coalfields and Asansol, connecting Tatanagar with these collieries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbil

Because of the tripartite Mou signed between Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal( coal minister) and Odisha govt. many projects that languished have moved rapidly. For example in June, Suresh Prabhu already commissioned 40 odd km of the line above. Work is speedily going and this year end the project will be complete. Yards at Tatanagar and Adityapur have also been re-modelled.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150210/j ... gPu8Ebl-_E

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 579638.cms

These projects have been running since 2005-2006 and only started to move forward after Modi and Prabhu.

Work is going on fast on the Chikjajur-Hubbali doubling on the Bangalore-Arsikere-Hubbali doubling. With massive yard re-modelling at Chikjajur and breaking down of the old station, construction of a RUB etc.
This is patch doubled, Bangalore-Tumkur, and Arsikere-Shivani-Chikjajur. Look at the scale of works in the videos linked below. Lastly the contractor copped out on the Chennai-Mumbai doubling project from Akkalkot Road to Gulbarga(70km). Some earthwork was done and some minor bridges constructed. I had linked a report of a Marathi newspaper that the contract was cancelled. The good news is that a few days ago, the tender has been re-floated for this part. Once completed and electrified, the Chennai-Mumbai line will be finally doubled after 100 years.

http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/ ... KALKOT.pdf

Other projects that will be complete by May 2016, Bangalore-Shravanbelagola-Hassan-Mangalore new line. This passes through Vijay Mallya's stud farm at Kunigal for which there was a protracted negotiation. The new line follows the alignment of the Bangalore-Mangalore highway and is shorter than the existing rail route by about 40km.
It should help with port connectivity. There is a tunnel that is to be constructed. This tunnel was to be complete this month. It is on track. Similar is the 1.6km Margutti tunnel on the Bidar-Gulbarga new line. This project too is moving along well, due to proper infusion of funds and may be complete by Sept 2016. Now the two videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... Ry3JJbEO64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... gKWG_-j_cU

To those of you who want a detailed report of the many projects that SER is undertaking, here is a .XLS file

South Eastern Railway, on going projects

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 24 Sep 2015 17:53

I think main points in above reports are
1. Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Corridor report of JICA
2. DFC and its funding through LIC.
3. Another point would be how to get private funding for railways project.

Railways Board if last to realise that things have changed and there can not be a slothful examination of proposals. Non performing members and GMs should be given Compulsory retirement to infuse a sense of urgency in the rest. After all NaMo is expected to follow the DOPT circular he has got issued to all. Prabhu should take a hint and kick out the illustrious sloths of the Board and GMs.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 24 Sep 2015 18:05

Sachin wrote:
manjgu wrote:>2nd A/c Nizamuddin...a) people had put stuff into the toilet ( bio digester) , bottles etc
2nd A/C is supposed to have very literate, well educated people as passengers. And this is what they do with the bio digester system in the toilets. I was reading through a couple of pages in this same thread, lamenting about IR not able to change the toilet system. My understanding is that IR is trying its best to change the system - but also have to deal with idiots who (ab)use these toilets.

put a dustbin in the toilet itself. problem solved.

vsunder · Post by **vsunder** » 24 Sep 2015 18:10

The most important BOT project in my opinion for which there have been no takers is the 76km Nagpur-Wardha route. This is just a double line. They want to triple it, absolutely no good, they should quadruple it. On this 76 km route, both the Howrah-Mumbai trains and the Delhi-Chennai trains travel together. It is incredibly busy and clogged. You can imagine. In the very old days, traveling from Delhi, your train would enter Wardha and the engine would reverse. Then another engine reversal at Kazipet. Nowdays, Delhi-Chennai trains go through the massive Sewagram ( Gandhi ashram) curve and avoid engine reversal. This is the outskirts of Wardha. Mumbai bound trains do enter Wardha towards Akola.
Also Kharagpur-Tatanagar should be tripled in Jangalmahal of Ghatsila etc. as also Agra Cantt-Jhansi.

Capacity augmentation of the very heart of the network is crucial. At the periphery the network has to be enlarged and strengthened in the Northeast where it has languished.

Dedicated Freight Corridors have to come in on time. What is worrisome is the Son Nagar to Dankuni section of the EDFC. This is a PPP part and not yet tendered and remains unfunded. You cannot run the freights on the existing tracks. Recall that the existing tracks can only handle 22.5 tonne axle loads due to blanketting issues and documents that I have placed on this thread. DFC standards are international standards of 32.5 tonne axle loads, though initially they will use 27.5 tonne axle loads.

Soon the first tranche of the Amsted corp wagons should arrive in India as I linked above. This should be a game changer too. The DFC will be one of the most important legacies of the Modi administration.

On the Western DFC, the line will branch off from Vasai Rd( the old Bassein of the Portuguese) towards JNPT port. There is a lot of activity between Vasai and Navsari, but less beyond. Bridges on the Tapi(Tapti) and Narmada have already been tendered. Maybe the activity will pick up. Also there is work going on the Iqbalgarh-Rewari section of the WDFC, I do not know how fast. WDFC is fully funded by JICA. Regarding EDFC, it appears that the section between Khurja and Bhaupur( near Kanpur) is seeing intense activity. Maybe in a few weeks I can catch some of this activity. This is a report from July 2015.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/efeatures.aspx?relid=123276

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 24 Sep 2015 19:31

Rahul M wrote:
Sachin wrote:
2nd A/C is supposed to have very literate, well educated people as passengers. And this is what they do with the bio digester system in the toilets. I was reading through a couple of pages in this same thread, lamenting about IR not able to change the toilet system. My understanding is that IR is trying its best to change the system - but also have to deal with idiots who (ab)use these toilets.
put a dustbin in the toilet itself. problem solved.

Good idea. Though there is a dust bin outside below the basin in 1st and 2nd AC and could be in other classes as well but it invariably overflows and then spills over in long distance trains. I witnessed this while traveling in DBRT RAJ . Either clean at regular interval or provide large size covered bins besides providing it in toilets as well. Need some training as well as all sorts travel in trains and not all have toilet training. Afterall majority of Indians still don't have toilet at home.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 25 Sep 2015 01:26

how to stop overflowing in the toilet waste-bin ?

in stead of a little bin make it a chute connecting to a larger waste container underneath the carriage. clear it out at end stations.
you can't have 80 odd people in a coach and expect that a couple of medium sized dustebins would be anywhere near enough for multi day journeys.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 25 Sep 2015 04:05

^^ this. poorly designed coaches, toilets and lack of solutions lead to or reinforce stupid behavior.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 25 Sep 2015 08:03

Chinese firms win Indian high-speed rail study bid
http://www.china.org.cn/business/2015-0 ... 679243.htm

A consortium led by Chinese and Indian railway companies has been chosen to conduct a feasibility study on a 1,200-kilometer high-speed railway line between New Delhi and Mumbai, indicating that Chinese railway firms are making rapid strides in the lucrative Indian market.
The consortium, led by Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation, a subsidiary of China Railway Corporation, beat 11 consortiums from countries including Germany, France and Italy in the bidding process, CRC said in a statement on Wednesday.In December, the Indian Railways floated a tender seeking consultants for an engineering feasibility study on its three proposed high-speed rail links－New Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai and New Delhi-Kolkata.Though the feasibility study is just the first step in what could be a long drawn-out process, Chinese companies are confident that their rich domestic experience will help in winning the final bid for the high-speed rail project.China has built an impressive high-speed railway network of about 17,000 km, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world's total.The Indian award comes as the contest between China and Japan is heating up for a high-speed rail project in Indonesia.Experts said the battle in India's high-speed rail market is becoming increasingly vital for China Railway Corporation and may pave the way for other rail projects if it wins the bid..

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 25 Sep 2015 09:22

Rahul M wrote:how to stop overflowing in the toilet waste-bin ?

in stead of a little bin make it a chute connecting to a larger waste container underneath the carriage. clear it out at end stations.
you can't have 80 odd people in a coach and expect that a couple of medium sized dustebins would be anywhere near enough for multi day journeys.

what works is what airlines do, which is come through every 2-3 hours collecting trash. quick easy painfree....

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 25 Sep 2015 10:56

Chinese firms win Indian high-speed rail study bid.

If we are allowing them in, it should be restricted to a few lines only to keep them happy. We should absorb as much tech as we can from companies which invest in high speed rail in India or develop it simultaneously. Within 10 years we should be capable of applying our own technology domestically and applying for bids as well, as competitors.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 25 Sep 2015 11:45

Theo_Fidel wrote:
Rahul M wrote:how to stop overflowing in the toilet waste-bin ?

in stead of a little bin make it a chute connecting to a larger waste container underneath the carriage. clear it out at end stations.
you can't have 80 odd people in a coach and expect that a couple of medium sized dustebins would be anywhere near enough for multi day journeys.
what works is what airlines do, which is come through every 2-3 hours collecting trash. quick easy painfree....

might work in chi chi 1AC or 2 AC but not in overcrowded 3AC or sleepers.
dont even think about the unreserved compartment.

^^ this. poorly designed coaches, toilets and lack of solutions lead to or reinforce stupid behavior.

like everything else we have, these coaches were designed for less crowded times. we didnt cater for the future and now we are stuck with designs that would take at least a decade to replace if not more.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 25 Sep 2015 12:32

All these coaches are designed for High volume yet not adequate in numbers for the requirements, especially for high volume routes.
General coahes of ICF carries 90, SGS Hybrid carries 99 and LHB carries 100 per coach. You have generally two bogies per train for general passengers and at least 400 get crammed into these two bogies. And they are put just behind Engine so bears maximum impact during collision.

Most of these coaches are designed for speed up to 110 subject to restrictions. LHB coaches are for 160 but again restricted to certain sections.

Cleaning operations during the running of train is to be maintained by SS of major stations where cleaning crew would be made ready. That is the current practice. Even in long distance train regular cleaning is prescribed and should be done besides providing dust bins etc. Only that way coaches can be kept clean. Of course passengers have to be taught to maintain general cleanliness and produce less litter and to use toilet in such a way that others can also use it afterwards. That is where SBM concept comes into play.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Sep 2015 19:52

Folks IR is making much progress in all aspects: new trains, clean stations, prompt service. So much so BBC has done 4 documentaries!
So stop focusing so much on toilets and share the optimism.
Includes everyone.
thanks,
ramana

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 25 Sep 2015 20:35

Rahul M wrote:
Theo_Fidel wrote:what works is what airlines do, which is come through every 2-3 hours collecting trash. quick easy painfree....
might work in chi chi 1AC or 2 AC but not in overcrowded 3AC or sleepers.
dont even think about the unreserved compartment.

You are probably correct. But maybe a trial or two could be made.
Railway types generate an incredible amount of trash over the 8-12 hour train rides. Trash bins may prove too small

Long term as we move to chair cars and eliminate sleepers this problem may slowly disappear on its own....

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 25 Sep 2015 20:51

did you read my post you quoted ? I made the same point.

vsunder · Post by **vsunder** » 25 Sep 2015 21:05

Some other points related to my previous post.

1. Bangalore-Mangalore current traffic goes through two routes. Bangalore-Mysore-Hassan-Mangalore( the so-called night train), and Bangalore-Arsikere-Hassan-Mangalore( day train). While the first route is longer, the second route suffers from an engine reversal at Arsikere and wastage of time. The new line will be an almost straight line route connecting Bangalore to Hassan. This should shave off at least 2 hours. Buses and very good ones too make the journey in 7-8 hours while the train takes 12 hours. The new line follows the road route for almost all the way.
If the ghat section Hassan-Saklespur-Mangalore is doubled, it will be another solid port connectivity.
There is a tunnel that is being constructed on this Bangalore-Hassan direct route and it is scheduled to be complete this month and the entire new line to Mangalore scheduled for commissioning in March 2016

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/461 ... march.html

Eventually this will be doubled for better port connectivity. 20 years in the making this line. Finally done.
This is what I said of implementation of projects under previous governments and this one, there is a huge difference.

2. The Ranchi-Lohardhaga-Tori gauge conversion will shorten the distance from Delhi to Ranchi( capital of Jharkand) by 106 km and that is a substantial shortening. Project has been held up for years, Naxal menace, no funds etc, at least 15 years. Again kudos to the current dispensation:

http://www.railnews.co.in/lohardaga-tor ... eady-soon/

It has taken 4 years to construct this 23 km of the last link between Lohardhaga and Tori, shows the total dysfunction in UPA.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 26 Sep 2015 04:06

Rahul M wrote:did you read my post you quoted ? I made the same point.

yup! saar. And I agreed with you.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 26 Sep 2015 09:29

The LNG based Engine offers 24 % better energy reduction cost compared to diesel engine , Good write up on Technology involved in LNG based engine

Trialling the TEM19, "the world's first LNG locomotive"

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 26 Sep 2015 09:58

BBC has started a new documentary on Indian Railways last month , First part here

srin · Post by **srin** » 26 Sep 2015 11:07

What's the sleek-looking engine at 0:46 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEc06EuXcY ? Never seen one like it outside of Metro.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 26 Sep 2015 11:10

Just a local DEMU.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 26 Sep 2015 20:46

srin wrote:What's the sleek-looking engine at 0:46 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEc06EuXcY ? Never seen one like it outside of Metro.

Nice video ,Travelled on this route quite a few times. The most beautiful route I have travelled is Kokan Railway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HJxh84Q_KI

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 26 Sep 2015 22:13

Some of the Railways IT projects' status. 21.9.2015

http://cris.org.in/CRIS/PDF/Progress_of_IT_projects.pdf

5.47 crores passengers booked through PRS, Turnover is 3111.49 crores till Aug 2015

NGeT(Next Gen Ticketing) response time Avg is 55-65 Sec.

Unreserved Ticketing System

A total of 60.95 crore passengers were served, resulting in total earning of `1565.74 crore during the month of August 2015 as compared to 58.33 crore passengers and `1624.44 crore earnings during August 2014, thereby showing an increase of 4.48% and decrease of 3.61% in total passengers served and earnings respectively.

On an average, UTS served 1.97 crore passengers and earned `50.51crore each day in August 2015.At present UTS is functioning at 5829 locations and running at 11787 Counters.

Scale of operation is simply himalyan.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 26 Sep 2015 22:56

Rahul M wrote:how to stop overflowing in the toilet waste-bin ?

in stead of a little bin make it a chute connecting to a larger waste container underneath the carriage. clear it out at end stations.
you can't have 80 odd people in a coach and expect that a couple of medium sized dustebins would be anywhere near enough for multi day journeys.

What you are suggesting will require modification in the carriages. It would be much easier to clear the bins every so many stops. Attendants at the stops can do it. India certainly does not lack manpower and more and more people needs to be employed.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 26 Sep 2015 23:50

Jammu to Katra Mata Vaishno Devi Train Route most amazing (TFTA) visuals

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 27 Sep 2015 02:05

Another criticism of Suresh Prabhu.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article ... ck/140397/

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Sep 2015 04:24

Jhujar wrote:Jammu to Katra Mata Vaishno Devi Train Route most amazing (TFTA) visuals

[youtube]8D9tfnpAoqg

freeze at 1:17. that would be the scariest spot!

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 28 Sep 2015 13:22

Singha wrote:there needs to be a large and prominent airplane style dustbin with a spring loaded lid next to the wash basins. this might attract more people to dispose their waste there than throw in toilet. one inside the toilet too.

Some coaches (not the really old ones), have a small dust bin below the wash basin. But what I noticed is that, it is too small and generally starts over-flowing very soon. Recently I have also noticed some crude facilities (or dust bins), placed on the gang plank/vestibule (which connects two railway coaches). But then I also did see people who just cannot stop the urge of throwing out of the window

.

Jhujar wrote:Jammu to Katra Mata Vaishno Devi Train Route most amazing (TFTA) visuals

Will watch the video in more detail. But at first glance, the rake of the train does not look Indian to me. The train reminded me of a MEMU rake, but then Jammu-Katra route is not electrified. DEMUs have another distinct loco type.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Sep 2015 14:17

Jhujar wrote:Jammu to Katra Mata Vaishno Devi Train Route most amazing (TFTA) visuals

I believe its a fake video circulating for long now. a mixup of real indian pix and some foreign pix.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Sep 2015 23:33

Austin wrote:The LNG based Engine offers 24 % better energy reduction cost compared to diesel engine , Good write up on Technology involved in LNG based engine

Trialling the TEM19, "the world's first LNG locomotive"

Can some one tell me , why they need cryostorage tanks for LNG , As LNG is stored in Room Temperature if I am not wrong ?

Another interesting aspect is India has similar interest for LNG based Engine and has floated Global Tender for the same , US is doing its own test for LNG based engine

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 28 Sep 2015 23:42

Dipanker wrote:
Rahul M wrote:how to stop overflowing in the toilet waste-bin ?

in stead of a little bin make it a chute connecting to a larger waste container underneath the carriage. clear it out at end stations.
you can't have 80 odd people in a coach and expect that a couple of medium sized dustebins would be anywhere near enough for multi day journeys.

What you are suggesting will require modification in the carriages. It would be much easier to clear the bins every so many stops. Attendants at the stops can do it. India certainly does not lack manpower and more and more people needs to be employed.

true, it would take modification. it's not an immediate solution.

however, cleaning bins regularly wont work. how do I know ? because that is supposed to be the current system now ! it doesn't work because of a mix of bad work culture and badly designed bins that do not allow quick efficient clearing of garbage.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 29 Sep 2015 00:01

Along with policy change on IR infrastructure, railway station modifications, swacch initiatives, I think the most important thing that I am not reading, or somebody writing about it or even talking here is the 'safety' factors. Our designs must change.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 29 Sep 2015 17:12

^^
If cleaning crew is lax in doing its job, somebody needs to crack the whip. A lax work ethic/culture should not be allowed to continue if we want the change. Of course easier said than done in a country like India, but still needs to be done.